Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, center, is escorted by police as she arrives at Shah Alam High Court in Shah Alam, Malaysia, Monday, April 1, 2019. Trial resumes on murder case against the Vietnamese woman accused in the killing of the North Korean leader's estranged half brother Kim Jong Nam. Prosecutors refused to drop the murder charge against Huong, who is the only suspect in custody after the stunning decision to drop the case against Indonesian Siti Aisyah.(AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia – The Latest on the trial of a Vietnamese woman in the killing of estranged North Korean scion Kim Jong Nam (all times local):
9:15 a.m.
A lawyer for Doan Thi Huong says she is pleading guilty to a reduce charge in Kim Jong Nam's killing and is asking for leniency.
Lawyer Salim Bashir had told reporters earlier Monday that the new charge against Huong was for causing hurt by a dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum of 10 years in jail if convicted. The previous charge was murder.
Huong nodded as the translator read the new charge to her. The translator later told the court that Huong pleaded guilty.
Huong's lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik told the court that her plea showed Huong "has taken responsibility" for her actions.
In asking for a lenient sentence he also told the court that her move also saved judicial time.
The Vietnamese woman is the only suspect in custody for the killing of the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader with VX nerve agent in 2017.
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9 a.m.
Malaysian prosecutors have offered to reduce a murder charge against the Vietnamese woman who is the only suspect in custody for the killing of the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader.
Prosecutor Iskandar Ahmad told the court Monday he received instruction from the attorney general to offer a lower "alternative charge" to Doan Thi Huong.
Huong's lawyer Salim Bashir told reporters the reduced charge was for causing hurt by a dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum of 10 years in jail if convicted.
He said she is likely to plead guilty to that charge. The hearing was halted briefly for Huong to decide whether to accept the offer.
Kim Jong Nam was killed with VX nerve agent at the Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017.
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